NSF

Oklahoma Senator James Lankford earlier this week published a long report called “Federal Fumbles” detailing projects that he considers government waste. Corny football analogies aside, some of the projects described in the report do indeed seem excessive at first glance.

Unfortunately, the senator criticized a number of research grants without even bothering to contact the primary investigators involved in the studies. Let’s take a $2.6 million, 4-year study that tracks efforts to stem trucker obesity (page 17) run by Dr. Ryan Olson at Oregon Health & Sciences University. Read more >

Last week, I pushed back on Senator Tom Coburn’s attacks on federally-funded science grants, explaining that if his staff had taken the opportunity to speak with the researchers in question that he might have a better understanding of the importance of the research he was making fun of. The researchers were eager to talk to me, and I quoted a couple of them in a blog post. In the time since, others have spoken out to explain how the senator’s “Wastebook” was off the mark. Read more >

It’s as predictable as a curse word in a Bob Saget comedy routine. Periodically, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn puts out a review of the government projects that he and his staff have designated as wasteful government spending. And each time, his list includes a number of research grants that he thinks are preposterous. Silly. Emblematic of a Washington that is severely out of touch with the American people. In these reports, science becomes a laugh line. Read more >

Yesterday, a mile-wide tornado that spent forty minutes on the ground ripped through Moore, Oklahoma. As of this writing, 51 people are dead (including twenty children) and more than 140 are injured (SEE UPDATE, BELOW). Almost immediately, this country began coming together to grieve and support the affected as it does during national tragedies. While it is clear that we have a long way to go in terms of tornado forecasting, investments in science and technology over the past three decades have significantly increased our understanding of these storms and our ability to minimize casualties. Read more >